The pandemic has changed many things; and some of those changes are here to stay. As we begin to see lockdown restrictions ease in some parts of the world, it’s important that our industry takes the lessons from the past year and adapts its approach moving forward.

Everything from the way we shop and work, to how we travel has been reimagined. The global pandemic, which we’re still fighting, has left us with an apprehensive consumer. As a result, what consumers deem important when it comes to making their buying decisions has transformed and as packaging experts we must sit up and take notice.

To explore this mindset, we conducted some attitudinal research with over 2,000 consumers, which confirmed our suspicions; hygiene is now top of mind for consumers when it comes to packaging, and while aesthetics for gift purchases still remains important, a safe experience is what people are looking for.

More than half of the survey respondents said they are much more concerned about how clean and safe packaging is now when touching products in store, compared to pre COVID-19.

This begs the question, whether a new focus on hygiene could mark the end of unboxing experiences. Experts in our field need to address this tension between beauty and hygiene and react to it effectively. In our research we found that almost two-thirds of people agreed that if they knew a product was packaged in materials that fought microbes like COVID-19, Norovirus and MRSA, they would definitely choose to buy it over similar products.  We are seeing big players address antiviral technology and recognise it as a way to gain a competitive edge.

What’s interesting is that this solution has always been available at James Cropper. For many years, PaperGard bespoke papers, with antiviral and antibacterial properties, have been used in the medical industry. Only now is it attracting broader attention with recent tests having proven the papers to be effective at reducing the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, on the surface of paper.

The protected papers reduced the viability of the viral strain by over 95% in only 15 minutes, and by 99.9% within 2 hours. This could play a huge role in helping brands win consumer confidence in a post pandemic world.

Brands have a huge task on their hands to provide product assurance to consumers in a world where everything that is touched seems to pose a risk. This is where packaging comes in. It has the ability to prove itself as a key component in the story and help brands to affirm their commitments.

Using antiviral technology in packaging can reduce the risk of surface transmission of the COVID-19 virus, which could instantly offer reassurance to customers. It’s a perfect solution to the tension between beauty and hygiene - beautiful packaging with in-built protection. But, in all of this, we mustn’t forget the critical role which eco credentials play in responding to consumer demand. While we take on this new challenge, consumer interest in environmentally responsible innovations has not fallen by the wayside, in fact the focus on this is as strong as ever!

We believe that brands will get to that point where all these components are considered and delivered at an early stage in the packaging design. But, for now, as brands scramble to find the balance, there will need to be some compromise along the way.

Let’s take bricks and mortar brands for example, who would typically offer an experience for consumers when they visit their store. They have had to pivot and look at how they convey that same experience online. Packaging can offer that, but if we’re becoming increasingly conscious about what products and materials we bring into the home and the things we touch, is less more? And if it is, how can we think differently to create a truly great experience?

As the vaccine is continually rolled out it will be sure to bring some reassurance and confidence back to society but what we’ve experienced over the past year won’t just go away overnight. We’ve all been bitten and as consumers we’ll be twice shy.

This is an opportunity for brands to show they care, that they acknowledge the changing needs of today’s consumer and they are willing to adapt and make changes.

 To hear more on this subject, visit http://www.jamescropper.com/papertalks.